Finland threatens to cut aid to African countries Supporting Russia

Every sovereign nation has the right to make decisions that they believe are in their best interests, but it appears that this right does not apply to African countries, as the newly elected right-wing government in Finland, formed by the Coalition Party and the True Finns, has threatened to cut financial aid to any African countries that support Russia.

Ville Tavio, the new Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, made the declaration stating that “the new Finnish government led by Petteri Orpo is seeking to cut development aid by around $1 billion and redirect the savings, with Ukraine becoming a new recipient of the country.”

According to Tavio, “Finland’s primary duty is to support Ukraine, and it is morally wrong for Finland to continue granting development aid to countries that support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.” “Developing nations should focus on their internal development instead of endorsing Russia’s war.” “I am keeping an eye on countries that receive aid from Finland, but choose not to respect international rules-based order and Ukraine’s state sovereignty, “ he added. He refused to specify the countries that could face cuts, but he did address Africa as a whole, saying, ”We have witnessed African countries supporting Russia. Those countries will be under surveillance,”

This outrageous threat by Finland against Africans is not the first time that Western countries have attempted to use aid policy as a political lever, though Finland appears to be setting a precedent by tying it so closely to this specific conflict, and this shift from Finland could pave the way for other European states to follow suit. In fact, some analysts argue that Western countries should be more daring in using aid or climate policy to persuade developing countries to support them in their present great-power rivalry with Russia or China.

Benjamin Tallis, a senior research member at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, is one such analyst who stated that “We should not unconditionally support those who seek to undermine our interests and values,” “Removing aid gives the possibility for using it as leverage. Trade and aid with swing states will be key areas in the battle for influence, and while the question with trade is more complex, with development aid it is relatively simple — we shouldn’t fund the development of illiberal ordering.

This declaration by the Finnish government has sparked widespread indignation, particularly in African countries. South African politician Themba Godi, a former member of the National Assembly, described it as a “disgrace” for the Finnish government to threaten African nations with aid cuts. “It’s a classic case of coercive diplomacy where threats and blackmail are used to achieve certain positions,” He said and added that “positions that countries take on the Russia-Ukraine conflict may not necessarily be informed by rational thinking and independent decisions but may be the product of blackmail.”

Russia’s State Duma Deputy Speaker Alexander Babakov also declared that “ The decision of the new Finnish government to deprive African countries supporting Russia of financial assistance is a vivid example of the worst colonial policy in the spirit of European countries” She said that it was very said that Finland follows the bad example of its older European brothers from the century before last, where under the guise of civilizational mission’, were simply engaged in the division of the natural resources of the African continent, and the people inhabiting it were turned into slaves”. The vice speaker added that now the task of the Europeans is “to bring Africa to its knees and squeeze all the resources out of it, eventually depriving it of sovereignty”.

The statement made by the Finnish government is coming at a time when there seems to be a reawakening in Africa and it only reinforces the point that Western countries and its allies have no regard for Africans as stated by Themba Goldi, and that any country that does not follow their dictates and decisions will be faced with a penalty.

In all of this, the question many Africans are asking is this “How much is the supposed aid that Africans are receiving from not just Finland but other Western Nations compared to what they collect from Africa, and since they have been giving this so-called aid how has it bettered the lives of the average Africans and also will the withdrawal of their Aid affect the economy of the countries who have been Recipient of the Aid?

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